Long-time Bengals assistant was critical in attracting a key undrafted free agent signing

Bringing in a new punter this offseason was a priority for the Cincinnati Bengals. 

Veteran free agency wasn't the avenue, and neither was the NFL Draft. The answer was found right after the draft concluded when former Texas Tech punter Austin McNamara agreed to an undrafted free agent contract with Cincinnati.

McNamara had options to pick from, but he landed on the Queen City thanks in part to special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons. 

As one of the most experienced assistant coaches in the entire NFL and the longest-tenured assistant with the Bengals, Simmons' reputation as a special teams coach precedes him. 

Simmons was also a college punter before transitioning to coaching, which garnered the attention of McNamara in the process.

"That really intrigued me," McNamara told Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. "My agent told me a little bit about him. I looked up some stuff about Coach Simmons and my agent told me he's been in the game a long time. A great coach. I trusted that and I've seen it first-hand here."

McNamara had a good chance of being drafted as a punter. Players like him are courted by multiple teams as the draft winds down to sign on as a college free agent. It's not as easy as just calling the player and informing him that he's going to be the next pick. Interested clubs have to sell to them why he should sign, like a veteran free agent.

The Bengals had the upper hand over the rest of the league for two reasons. McNamara will have a real chance to win the punting battle this offseason over incumbent Brad Robbins, and Simmons' connection with McNamara grew strong over the final weeks leading up to the draft. That development helped seal the deal.

"We had that personal connection over the last month and a half before the draft and that definitely weighed in my decision," McNamara revealed. "We talked during the back end of the draft."

McNamara's battle will not be easy as he's a rookie UDFA trying to supplant a draft pick with a year of NFL experience already under his belt in Robbins. 

Nevertheless, Simmons will give him a fair chance to prove why he signed here in the first place.